Sea Witch
by WBAD
Summary: He hated how hopelessly he had fallen in love with this creature. But he couldn't deny the wishes of his own heart — and how it called her name with every beat. [AU Lelouch/CC story]


**A/N: I won't lie. I've been in a slump lately…**

**I'm at this stage of writer's block where I'm just writing whatever comes to mind — just following my whims. I'm not satisfied with this one, but I **_**do **_**like it. And want to share it :)**

**And also, this one-shot/plot-less drabble is sort of my update to what's going on in the fic-writing front.**

**\- A guest reviewer mentioned in the one-shot sequel to Se****ñ****orita that it would be a good project. And I AGREE. I **_**am **_**planning on making it a full blown project. CC is pregnant in that fic for a reason xD And that reason is because I'm planning another story around it. But I need to figure out a way to sync it with Blood, Love, and Promises.**

**\- Blood, Love, and Promises ch 5 has been stuck in proof-reading stage. It's stuck because **_**I'm**_** stuck at the moment. Writer's block. Sad TT_TT**

**Anyways. Thank you for reading this, and for the supportive reviews in my other stories and PMs. I appreciate it :) 'Til next time.**

* * *

**Sea Witch**

It grieved her young heart to know that her brother would not be returning. Her beloved older brother, Crown Prince of Britannia, heir to Emperor Charles; such greatness would no longer grace the massive walls of the throne room.

Her people lost a noble leader. The commoners had given up hope for their Champion…

And the Imperial Naval fleet was a wreck without their Commander-in-chief.

Word had reached the homeland just this morning, and the members of the Imperial Court had been in an uproar. Remains of the Prince's ship's massive hull and bits of its mast were all that was left of her brother's beloved Lady Marianne. Crashed against massive boulders along the northern seas, Britannia's band of dispatched search-and-rescue ships had turned up empty.

No survivors. Not one of her brother's crew members survived. Even her brother's escort — Seventh Knight Suzaku Kururugi was reported dead.

There had been nothing but bits of splintered wood, rotting food, clumps of seaweed, and bird droppings — as one of the men had said.

Not a soul from his Royal Highness' crew had been spotted — not even corpses.

And that was the most disappointing news of all.

Nunnally hated it. She hated how vast oceans and leagues of water had separated her from her brother. She loathed the heavens for shackling her to her home — unable to do anything but weep for her brother's short-lived existence. Not even a body. How devastating.

The worst part was that it had taken two months' of her brother's delayed return before her father, the Emperor, finally decided to send search-and-rescue ships to find the Crown Prince.

She felt so powerless and so _useless_… And now there was nothing left to do but weep for the wasted life that was Prince Lelouch Lamperouge-vi Britannia's.

vVvVv

"Do you not wish to return to your people?"

One lock of raven hair after another fell and floated atop the shimmering water, creating small ripples, and effectively distracting him from the dangerously alluring voice murmuring words into his ear. He failed to suppress the pleasant shudder that skittered down his spine when her cold fingertips barely brushed the skin at his nape.

He refused to answer her query. Out of spite, and out of denial of the _disgusting _truth that haunted him at every waking hour.

It was irresponsible. And _treasonous_.

Because the truth was, he _didn't _want to return to his people anymore.

Perhaps his foolishness had grown after months of staying in this half-submerged grotto tucked away at the foot of the mountains that connected to the sea. Maybe he was simply tired of carrying the burden that belonged to Crown Prince Lelouch. Perhaps his in-most desires had always been _this_.

Or was it because his treacherous heart had helplessly fallen victim to his lover's call?

He watched locks of hair fall into the water and float away — one after another. She was surprisingly adept at trimming his raven locks with his dagger — the only remnant he had of the life he had once led. Maybe that was why she was asking him that question again. He knew that she knew that he _hated _it when she asked that. But he supposed it couldn't be helped. Not when his Princely identity still cast shadows in this new life..

But what was he now, exactly?

A prisoner? A lovesick fool under a spell? Or simply a savage brute who had chosen to discard his responsibilities and shed his name and honor for the sake of infatuation?

"We've discussed this."

Her sigh was melancholic. And he still hated how charming it sounded. But he caught himself short of being completely surprised. He shouldn't really. Not when he knew her voice was her weapon. "No. You never once gave me an answer."

"I don't have one."

_Liar…_

"Or perhaps you simply _refuse _to give me one."

The blade rattled against the smooth stones as she carelessly dropped the weapon. There was a quiet splash just behind him, before he felt a pair of now-familiar cold arms wind around his torso. He could feel every line of her form against his; every scale, every bare brush of the fin, the ripples against his legs as her tail moved back and forth. He tried to ignore her, even as her lips latched on to the skin at the crook of his neck. But he failed anyway when he whirled around and held her to him instead, his fingers threading through locks of shimmery green hair floating in the chest-high ocean water.

"You've shown quite a devotion for choosing to stay."

He scoffed; the facial expression mismatched with his actions as he rested his cheek atop her crown of hair. "Don't flatter yourself."

"Then I must be excellent at pleasuring you."

She dangled her seduction above him like bait. Normally, he'd gladly bite. But not today… Not today.

"Of all the men who have been unfortunate enough to hear my song and perish, only you have survived and defied me at every turn. That willpower is extraordinary."

Her lips moved against his skin, fingernails brushing against his back, and he knew she was soaking up what little warmth his human body had to offer.

"And that is why you keep me as your prisoner and convince yourself that you're in love with me."

"Modesty has never been your strong suit." She tittered and left a kiss above his beating heart before she extracted herself from him and proceeded to float on her back above the water. "I don't keep prisoners, Prince Lelouch. You keep choosing to stay when I've been so willing to let you go."

That was a lie too, and they both knew it.

So _damn_ her and her soothing voice. Her sweet lullabies. The charming lilt in her eyes. The deadly gleam of her serrated canines. The glow in her otherworldly eyes. Damn her for saving his life when he had been about to die. And _damn her _for being so caring and compassionate towards him.

_Damn her _for stealing his heart and keeping it for her own… _Damn her _for revealing her truth.

This exquisite, ancient, and wondrous creature.

Unattainable and wise. Keeper of the secrets of life and death. The embodiment of the ocean and mankind's twisted ways. A treasure trove full of wisdom gathered through the ages.

A regrettable killer and a desirable lover.

And yet somehow, past the powers and the physical beauty, a part of him had seen how lonely she was. Confused and lost. Cursed to wander the ocean waters for all eternity, sorrowfully singing her requiems and odes to the skies, the stars, and the moon — her only audience. And even then, any human who chanced upon crossing with her sweet siren's call would inevitably meet their doom.

She asked questions about him returning to his Palace. But he couldn't bring himself to even if it was true that there was nothing but her presence keeping him here.

He had a duty to his family, to his people. He shouldered the Crown and the throne. But he couldn't leave her…

"I have duties to my kingdom. To my family."

She swam towards him again, placing her hands against his chest. "So go. I never stopped you before. Why should I now? If you ask, I can guide you through the endless ocean to see you safely to your home."

"But I don't want to leave you too." Was the quiet answer as he touched his forehead to hers, his hands cupping her cheeks, their lips barely brushing against one another.

"You have to if you're going to survive."

She was right. He wasn't like her. He couldn't live like this forever. And sooner rather than later, he would be _forced _to traverse the ocean waters just to get home. But not yet…

He shook his head, displaying the stubbornness she had come to love over the days they spent together. "I will find a way."

"The heavens have blessed me. And yet, it has been so cruel to offer me a taste of sweet and true love when we both know it will not last."

Glimmering tears fell from eyes swirling with gold and blue, an expression of sorrow and regret — one he couldn't bear to see in such a lovely face. So in comfort and in love, he stole another siren's kiss, fusing their lips together — an embodiment of a wish to be wholly united. A want to become one being and dissolve into the ocean that had birthed their impossible love affair.

Because as much as he hated how hopelessly he had fallen in love with this creature, he couldn't deny the wishes of his own heart — and how it called her name with every beat.


End file.
